US talk show host and comedian Jay Leno has said he is in recovery but doing “OK” after suffering “serious burns” from a gasoline fire.
The former presenter of The Tonight Show said on Monday night that he would need “a week or two to get back on my feet” following the incident.
Further details about the petrol fire were not given, although PA has noted that Jay is famed for his car collection housed in Burbank, north of Los Angeles.
In a statement shared with the PA news agency, the 72-year-old said: “I got some serious burns from a gasoline fire. I am OK. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet.”
Jay had reportedly been set to appear at a financial conference in Las Vegas on Sunday but cancelled because of a “serious medical emergency”, People magazine reported, citing an email sent to those attending the conference.
The US broadcaster is best known for his work at the helm of NBC’s Tonight Show, taking over as host when long-time host Johnny Carson retired in 1992.
While Jay eventually stepped down in 2019, he then returned for a second stint between 2010 and 2014. He then handed over the reins to its current host Jimmy Fallon.
More recently, Jay turned his love of cars into a CNBC series, Jay Leno’s Garage, and has also hosted a revival of the game show You Bet Your Life since 2021. He also occasionally writes columns about cars for the Sunday Times.